Robyn Denny
About
Born in Surrey, England, Robyn Denny (1930–2014) was one of an internationally acclaimed group who transformed British art in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Inspired by the scale and energy of Abstract Expressionism emerging from the US, Denny developed his own unique language of painting and printmaking, which drew from popular culture, urban modernity and American films.
Graduating from the Royal College of Art in 1957, Denny was one of the organisers of the now legendary 1960 exhibition Situation which marked a dramatic shift away from the mainstream abstraction of the St Ives School to a new style of painting. In 1966, Denny represented Britain at the Venice Biennale and in 1973 was the recipient of a Tate retrospective, the youngest artist at the time to receive this honour.
In 1981 Denny moved to Los Angeles where he lived for much of that decade, the influence of the Southern Californian light bringing about a profound change in his work. From the 1990s until his death in 2014, Denny worked intensely on groups of monumental canvases and works on paper, many of which have never been exhibited before. In 2018, Denny was the subject of a posthumous exhibition at the Newlyn Art Gallery & The Exchange in Penzance.
Robyn Denny’s work can be found in the collection of public institutions such as Tate, London; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Arts Council of England; the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; the Arts Institute, Chicago; the National Gallery of Australia, Sydney; the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool; the Yale Centre for British Art, New Haven; the Scottish National Gallery for Modern Art, Edinburgh and the British Council.
Vardaxoglou Gallery represents the Estate of Robyn Denny.
Selected Works
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Robyn Denny
Eden Come Home, 1957
bitumen on board
121.9 x 243.8 cm
48 x 96 ins -
Robyn Denny
Untitled (June 1957), 1957
oil, stencil collage and monotype on card
48 x 35 cm
18 7/8 x 13 3/4 ins -
Robyn Denny
Holiday at Home, 1958
oil on board
122 x 183 cm
48 x 72 ins -
Robyn Denny
2A (13) (Austin Reed Maquette), 1958
collage
35.5 x 61 cm
14 x 24 ins -
Robyn Denny
Place 9, 1959
oil on canvas
214 x 122 cm
84 1/4 x 48 ins -
Robyn Denny
The Austin Reed Mural, 1959
oil and collage on board
198.1 x 304.8 cm
78 x 120 ins -
Robyn Denny
2B (21), 1959
gouache on paper
79 x 58 cm
31 1/8 x 22 7/8 ins -
Robyn Denny
Out-Line 1, 1962
oil on canvas
152.4 x 122 cm
60 x 48 ins -
Robyn Denny
Still, 1964-65
oil on canvas
214 x 183 cm
84 1/4 x 72 ins -
Robyn Denny, British Pavilion, Venice Biennale, 1966
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Robyn Denny
A Time, 1968-1969
oil on canvas
244 x 198 cm
96 x 78 ins -
Robyn Denny
Dumb, 1964-1965
oil on canvas
214 x 183 cm
84 1/4 x 72 ins -
Installation view, Robyn Denny, Tate Retrospective, 1973
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Installation view, Robyn Denny, Wurttengergischer Kunstverein, Stuttgart 1973
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Robyn Denny
Travelling 1, 1976-1977
oil and oil crayon on canvas
214 x 183 cm
84 1/4 x 72 ins -
Robyn Denny
Going For a Walk, 1982-1983
acrylic on canvas
122 x 168 cm
48 x 66 1/8 ins -
Robyn Denny
My Blue Heaven, 1985-1986
acrylic on canvas
244 x 198 cm
96 x 78 ins -
Robyn Denny’s permanent commission at Embankment Underground Station, London (installed 1985)
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Robyn Denny
Me and My Shadows (1), 2000-2003
acrylic on canvas
167.5 x 122 cm
66 x 48 ins
Vardaxoglou Exhibitions
Selected Institutional Exhibitions
Resources